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COLOUKED HILLS 167
chains of remarkable coloured hills which rose
seven or eight hundred feet above the road and
displayed the colours of the rainbow. They were
formed of naked volcanic ash or rock whose clearly
defined strata changed through green and brown
and red and yellow and blue, with soft uncertainty
between the changes, and a level regularity
in the width of band. . these bare hills, and
on all other hills hereabouts, the scheme of denudation
was apparent as if shown by diagram. You
could trace it from foot to summit, from the deep
gulleys below going directly up the slope, through
the various lateral branches and their subordinate
hollows till they ran out above in mere creases. Seen
in wondrously clear atmosphere and brilliant sunshine,
especially when the westering sun filled the hollows
with soft shadows, these coloured hills had an appearance
of enchanted unreality.
In these conditions of scene and weather the snow
that I had dreaded so much became a thing out of
question. The mind refused to accept, refused to
consider, any possibility of snow coming this day or
the next. Some complete change of season, which
could not take place in a few days, appeared necessary
before wintry weather of any kind could set
in. Quite as reasonably, it seemed, might one go
dreading snow in June.
This road of unexpected sunshine was lonely beyond
any I had so far known. I would go a whole forenoon
and pass maybe only a single arctba or a couple
of horsemen. Then about midday might appear a
band of men on foot carrying packs and bundles
containing bedding and possessions, going back to
their homes for the winter from employment in the
south. Sometim.es these men were Lazis, in short
jacket and breeches, tight about the calf and baggy
above ; but more often were from Sivas, and Shabin
Karahissar, and Erzingan. They had money in
pocket, they were going home, and the weather was
good ; so they were a good-natured crew, ready with